St Andrews Christian College
St Andrews Christian College is an independent, co-educational school situated in the eastern Melbourne suburb of Wantirna South. The school was founded in 1983 by the Presbyterian Church of Victoria, and takes students from Prep to Year 12.
The College expresses a Christian and biblical perspective and approach in its curriculum and culture. Currently there are families from over 35 different Protestant denominations attending the College.
The college was the centre of controversy in 2020–22 for its suppression of sexual abuse of students by its former sports teacher and coordinator Steve Mellody, who is a registered sex offender for life. The college also gained notoriety for urging parents to support the controversial religious discrimination bill.
History
St Andrews Christian College was opened in 1983 in Surrey Hills as a response to growing community demand for a Christian school in the area.The College later relocated its premises to Burwood in 1998, and was able to offer secondary classes in 2000 as student and staff numbers began to grow.
In 2010, the College moved into its current site in Wantirna South, where it is in the process of completing major infrastructure expansions to accommodate its growing population.
In 2013, then Opposition Leader, and later Prime Minister, Tony Abbott and his wife Margie Abbott, together with other dignitaries paid a visit to the College.
Houses
The College has three houses, each of which comprises both students and teachers. Students compete for house points throughout the school year, which are awarded for academic and sporting achievements, as well as for outstanding student behaviour.The three houses are:
| House name | Colours | Motto | Named after |
| Barton | Red | Strength, Honour, Wisdom. | Sir Edmund Barton, first Prime Minister of Australia |
| Deakin | Yellow | Iron Sharpens Iron | Alfred Deakin, second Prime Minister of Australia |
| Parkes | Green | God is Our Light | Sir Henry Parkes, Australian politician and the "Father of Federation" |
Achievement
St Andrews Christian College has consistently been listed as one of the top-ranking schools in Victoria and Australia based on academic achievement.In 2009, St Andrews was listed as one of the top 50 best performing schools in Australia, based on overall academic performance, in both primary school and secondary school categories.
Since 2010, the College has consistently ranked in the top 15 best primary schools in Victoria, placing as high as 3rd overall in 2012.
St Andrews has also been ranked as one of the top 20 secondary schools in the state since 2012, and one of the highest ranked schools that is neither selective nor partially-selective.
Based on NAPLAN results in 2014, the College was ranked as Australia's 46th and 72nd overall best performing primary and secondary school respectively. The College also achieved the 47th best numeracy result, and was ranked the 29th best private primary school and 50th best private secondary school.
Kaushal Ottem became renown for his collaboration with multinational corporations and running two IT companies whilst 16-years-old and at the time studying at St Andrews.